Netherlands to Enlist Private Firms to Protect North Sea Assets from Russian Sabotage

The Netherlands plans to temporarily enlist additional personnel and equipment from private companies to strengthen security in its part of the North Sea, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday, confirming media reports.

The decision follows reports last year from Dutch military intelligence agency MIVD that Dutch North Sea infrastructure, such as gas pipes and windmills, is the target of Russian sabotage activities. In April, MIVD said Russia may also seek to sabotage the numerous data hubs in the North Sea region.

"This measure is intended to bridge the gap until two new multifunctional support vessels can be deployed into the navy, expected in 2026," a ministry spokesperson added.

The ministry would not specify which companies it had been talking to, nor if it was only talking to Dutch or European companies.

The Dutch section of the North Sea is about one and a half times larger than the Netherlands' land territory and ranks among the busiest shipping regions in the world.

Earlier this week, two undersea fibre-optic communications cables in the Baltic Sea, including one linking Finland and Germany, were severed, which raised suspicions of sabotage.

(Reuters - Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout, Editing by William Maclean)